Often we don’t realize how God will use our lives. Sometimes it’s in unexpected ways. Recently, a woman in France who had been impacted by our global staff reached out to express her gratitude. We can learn from her response, both what it means to reflect Christ in our lives and how much it matters that we do so.

Living Christ’s Love

Sharing the gospel is not always through words. Often it is through actions: “I remember that when we ate at your place, we were received like royalty,” this French woman shares. “This is a fine example of love in Christ!”

She was moved by behavior that was welcoming and other-focused. It resonated with her and gave her a true representation of Christ’s love for her. The way we treat others, whether members of our own families or contacts we hope to win to Christ, reveals the state of our relationship with Him.

Sharing Christ’s Message

“You came to France to deliver us from the Nazis in 1944,” the French woman says, speaking to our US-background staff. “And then you returned to France to deliver us from sin and make us known to our Lord!”

Boldly sharing Christ—carrying out the Great Commission—is essential to our lives as Christians, and it is a vital component to living out His love. Even as we show His love through our actions, we must also proclaim it—sharing the death caused by sin, our need to trust in a Savior, and His life-giving sacrifice for us.

Having an Eternal Impact

What we do matters for eternity. The impact on this woman’s life extends beyond this world— in fact, because of it, she will live into the next. And she anticipates being reunited with those who first shared Christ with her.

“This is why we French Christians have every intention of catching up (in French: “nous rattraper, rattraper le temps”) in heaven when we will be reunited with all of you, our dear missionaries,” she says. “We will live together forever! How many good times we will all spend together around our dear Lord!”

As we live our lives on this earth, we each must ask ourselves if we are fulfilling the calling God has placed on us. 

And if we are not, what is the next step we must take?